The Hardest Floors To Scratch

If you have pets or kids, but still want to install hardwood floors in your house, make sure you install extremely sturdy hardwood floors. This article will give you some ideas of your best options.

Hardness Rating

There is actually a hardness rating system for hardware floor. The Janka Hardness Test is an international system. It is issued to measure the hardness of different types of woods. The test measures how much force it takes to embed a steel ball into the wood. This is supposed to show how easy or hard it is to scratch and dent that particular type of wood.

When shopping for sturdy hardwood flooring, you want to purchase flooring that has a high Jenka rating. The higher the rating, the denser the wood is, and the harder it is to scratch it. A high rating also means that the wood is harder to work with and manipulate.

Brazilian Walnut

Brazilian walnut has one of the higher Janka ratings, coming in at 3680. It is one of the hardest types of natural wood flooring you can install in your home. As the name implies, Brazilian Walnut grows in Brazil, but also in Peru, Bolivia and Guatemala.

If you want to install Brazilian walnut, you need to let the wood planks acclimate for up to a month before you install them. Brazilian walnut floor is a very rich and dark brown color, bordering on black.

Brazilian Teak Or Cumaru

Coming in right behind Brazilian walnut is Brazilian Teak. Brazilian teak is often referred to as cumaru as well. It grows in Brazil as well as Bolivia and Peru.

Brazilian Teak is much lighter than Brazilian Walnut. It has more of a warm medium brown feel to it with a yellow undertone. The wood contains lots of natural oils which keeps it flexible.

Bolivian Rosewood

If you want something that is a little lighter in color, but still has a really high Janka rating, you should check out Bolivian rosewood. It has a Janka rating of 3280.It has a deep color range that features browns, blacks and reds. The reds give the wood a warm feeling, and the blacks and browns give it a level of depth.

In summary, brazilian walnut is some of the strongest flooring you can put down, and it is also one of the darkest colored flooring you can put down as well. Brazilian teak or cumaru is also strong, but has more of a brown and yellow undertone to it. If you want more of a red undertone with your floors, Bolivian rosewood would be perfect. All three of these wood flooring options would be very tough for your kids and pets to scratch up.

About Me

My parents were barely "making ends meet" when I was a child, so we lived in a small home that they rarely upgraded. However, they were devoted parents and I cherish every memory made in that house. They were adamant that I go to college, and after I graduated, I was very lucky to land a good job quickly. After I bought my home, I had a few renovations performed to it to make it perfect for me. When the job was done I decided to pay it back to my parents for all they did for me as a child and have their kitchen remodeled. Once I can afford it, I want to help make a few more changes to their home. I have been researching and learning so much about home remodeling, I decided to start a blog to share my remodeling tips and experiences on!